Yale Bulletin and Calendar

October 27, 2000

Volume 29, Number 8

Bill Cosby

Comedian Bill Cosby to perform
as a benefit for L.E.A.P.

Comedian Bill Cosby will visit Yale on Friday, Nov. 10, to appear at a benefit for Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership (L.E.A.P.).

"An Evening with Bill Cosby" will take place at 8 p.m. at Woolsey Hall, corner of Grove and College streets.

Founded in 1992 by Yale students and neighborhood leaders, L.E.A.P. pairs inner-city youths ages 7 to 14 with college students. The program seeks to nurture the talents of the college-age leaders, who create and implement year-round, community-based programs designed to achieve positive academic and social outcomes for the participating youngsters. L.E.A.P. is now a nationally recognized model youth program that serves about 1,300 children annually in four Connecticut cities.

President Richard C. Levin says, "We at Yale are beginning to celebrate our Tercentennial and, as we do, we celebrate the three centuries of excellence in the fields of public service and the performing arts. I am delighted that Bill Cosby will be honoring us with this performance, for he embodies the highest ideals of humanitarian service and excellence in the arts. It is fitting that this evening will help support an organization, L.E.A.P., that represents the best that universities and their communities can achieve when they work together on behalf of children."

William H. Cosby Jr. was born on July 12 in Germantown Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He calls himself a "late bloomer," noting that he did not realize the value of a formal education until after the first four days of boot camp in the U.S. Navy. "Four years later in May, when I got out of the Navy, I hit the ground running from Norfolk, Virginia, and immediately enrolled in Temple University in Philadelphia," he recalls.

Cosby has been outspoken about his commitment to education, often stating emphatically that he believes the best assurance for a satisfying and rewarding life begins with knowledge. Cosby himself went back to college, long after he had achieved much of his success, to obtain a master's degree and an Ed.D. He has, in fact, applied this further education in his professional life.

The actor and comedian says he has never stopped realizing the importance of challenging himself: "People always say 'you don't need money, why are you still working?' My answer is that it isn't about money. That's academic. It's about accepting the challenges of one's own ideas, clarifying the unanswered questions and pursuing the excitement of discovery."

Yale is hosting the event, which is also being produced with the support of Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center, Cox Radio, Citizens Bank, Cummings & Lockwood, Fusco Corporation, Jane Marcher Foundation, New Haven Public Education Fund, New Haven Savings Bank, News Channel 8, Simione Scillia Larrow & Dowling LLC, SNET, Susman and Duffy, Webster Bank and Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Tickets for "An Evening with Bill Cosby" are available exclusively through the New Haven Symphony Orchestra Box Office, with reserved seating at $60, $30 and $15. Patron tickets also are available for $100 and include a gala reception immediately following the performance at Yale University Commons. Tickets may be purchased by telephone using major credit cards at (203) 776-1444 or in person Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the symphony's box office, located on the third floor of 70 Audubon St. Credit cards, cash and personal checks are accepted.

Further information about L.E.A.P is available online at www.leap.yale.edu.

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